Thursday, 16 February 2012

Ringing in the Lenten changes

For those of us who live by school or university terms, Lent arrives at
the worst possible time, in the coldest month, when the dark is grindingly
awful and we're tired and behind in our work. I don't want to make it sound
worse than it is, but Ash Wednesday creeps up on me unawares like it never did
in the Caribbean. There, the excesses and explosive beauty (and sin) of
Carnival pointed strongly towards the season of repentance.

So I've caught myself just in time wondering what I might usefully do in
refreshing my Kingdom discipline. What follows is not what I've decided to do
(yet!), but some of the musings about a creative approach to the season, a
series of prompts that might encourage you to do the same.

The tyranny of the internet - this comes in so many
shapes and sizes, that it's difficult to know where to begin, but there
are several possible starting points:

for those who struggle with internet porn, perhaps it's time to
find an accountability partner. Visit Covenant Eyes.

if you are held prisoner to the need to answer instantly, or to
check (yet again, on your mobile phone) in case that really, really
important email has come in, a fast from email looking might be
appropriate. Put in place a cut-off hour of the night beyond which you
won't look, and maybe a period during the day too.

inboxes can become millstones. If you have 12,364 emails in your
inbox, set aside an hour a week for the discipline of clearing out and
tidying up.

The agitation of hurry - like
you, I know that in an ideal world I would be more measured about the way
I live, but I haven't got there yet, and am not sure that I can take on
the world of church or academic busyness single-handed. However,

for me, it's becoming increasingly important to build in
five minute (or even two minute) pauses several times a day when I do
nothing but sit, catch my breath, listen to the world, recollect myself
for the next race, and pray. I think this is one of the key issues that I
must address to punctuate a busy schedule with sabbath space.

alternatively, you might consider a fasting walk once a week at
lunch time. There's nothing worse than sitting down wishing your stomach
would shut up. The virtue of walking is that you can no longer hear, or
feel, the insistence of the gut!

The allure of fulfilment – I
remember a speaker on the subject of happiness saying some years ago that
we are biologically wired for desire, but not for fulfilment. At the time
it felt true, if overstated. Certainly, the ‘instant gratification’ of our
consumerism in all its aspects leads to dullness or increased desire.
Whether abstaining from chocolate or alcohol is a good thing for you, only
you can judge. Don’t use fasting as an excuse for dieting: if you need to
diet, just diet. But fasting is a discipline primarily intended to help us
remember that the Kingdom of God is both now and not yet; that the battle
against sin, the flesh and the devil is won on the cross, but the war is
not over. So fast:

from something where you need to separate want from need;

from an innocent activity which is too dominant in your life;

by giving something to someone else that you would really like to
hold on to.

The seduction of the ugly –
having just finished reading Umberto Eco’s book On Ugliness, I am struck by the difficulty of defining beauty
and ugliness, and have come to wonder whether they are opposites or part
of a bigger picture. However, he’s made me more aware of beauty that
corrupts and ugliness that tells the truth. In Philippians 4, the apostle
Paul encourages us to learn to think and look in a new way: at the
honourable, just, pure, pleasing and commendable or excellent elements of
life. Perhaps there’s a final, ‘add-on’ discipline which I need to pursue:

by committing myself to a weekly act of creativity or appreciation
(which could even be a Lenten trip to a museum!);

by indulging myself in my latest exploration of praying through
the lens of a camera and recording it on the 365 Photo Project;

by reflecting on and attempting to practise Paul’s stricture in 1
Thessalonians 5.22, using the language of the KJV: Abstain from all
appearance of evil.

Finally, if you have any other bright ideas about encouraging us all in
the discipline of Lent, do comment below on the blog or send me your ideas to
be added at my email address..

1 comment:

From a reader: I agree with your piece on the agitation of hurry but I wonder if your phrase "being more measured about the way I live" actually uncovers another area altogether. For some folks being measured is a natural talent that can ironically become out of control. Possibly like the Pharisees? Perhaps those prone to a very disciplined disposition could perhaps use lent as a time to let go a bit and discover the blessing of spontaneity that can lead to a Spirit filled moment.